American Porter Recipe with Oak Chips
- Color : Black (61 EBC)
- ABV : 6.2%
- Batch Size : 20 L
- Bitterness : Medium (46 IBU)
- Brew Time : 5 hours
- Difficulty : Easy
Ingredients :
Grain Bill :
- 3.6kg Pale Ale Malt
- 0.6kg Rye Malt
- 0.6kg Cararye
- 0.4kg Roasted Barley
Hops :
- 20g Centennial Hops (Boil – 60min)
- 50g Cascade Hops (Boil – 15min)
- 30g Centennial Hops (Boil – 5min)
Oak Chips Arôbois :
- 40g Bourbon Oak Chips – Medium Toast (Secondary fermentation – 10 days)
Yeast & Brewing Water :
- 2 packets Lallemand House Ale
- Total water volume: 33.3 L
- Ideal sulfate-to-chloride ratio: 2:1
- Mash pH: 5.2
- Ideal sparge water pH: 6
Brassez notre recette d’American Porter :
Step 1 :
Pour 17.5 liters of water into your kettle and heat to 66°C. Add the grains and stir thoroughly to prevent clumping. If the temperature drops, bring it back to 66°C. Hold for 60 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat 15.7 liters of water to 77°C — this will be your sparge water.
When saccharification is complete, raise the temperature to 75°C for a 10‑minute mash‑out.
Step 2 :
Once mash‑out is finished, proceed with lautering and sparging.
Step 3 :
Bring the kettle to a boil for a 60‑minute boil.
At the start of the timer, add the first 20 g of Centennial. With 15 minutes remaining, add 50 g of Cascade. For the final 5 minutes, steep 30 g of Centennial.
This hop combination delivers resinous aromatics that pair beautifully with bourbon‑aged American oak. The beer’s moderate bitterness finds perfect balance with the pronounced roundness of this American spirit.
Step 4 :
Chill the wort to 18°C. Take a gravity reading — it should land around 1.054 — then transfer to the fermenter.
Pitch the 2 packets of Lallemand House Ale. This new hybrid strain, positioned between Bry‑97 and Nottingham, is ideal for American porters. Its discreet ester profile and fast fermentation make it highly practical and versatile. It allows the hops to shine while letting the malts and oak stand out.
After 3 days of fermentation, raise the temperature to 21°C.
Step 5 :
Hold at 21°C for 3 weeks. Final gravity should settle around 1.007. Once this time has passed, place the 40 g of Bourbon Oak American oak chips into an airtight jar and cover with bourbon (or vodka if you want to keep the oak pure). Seal and let soak for 24–48 hours. The goal is to sanitize the wood without stripping its flavor.
Using a sanitized strainer or mesh filter, separate the chips from the spirit and add the wood to your fermenter. For a more pronounced bourbon character, let the chips soak for up to 1 week and add both the liquid and the chips to your beer.
Leave them at temperature for 7 days. Without removing the wood, cold‑crash for an additional 3–4 days at 3°C.*For a more pronounced bourbon character, let the chips soak for up to 1 week and add both the liquid and the chips to your beer.
Vous les laisserez 7 jours à température. Sans retirer le bois, effectuez un cold crash de 3/4 jours supplémentaire à 3°C. *If you’re not equipped for cold‑crashing, simply leave the beer in contact with the chips for 10 days.
In this American Rye Porter recipe, the bourbon‑infused chips bring roundness and complexity. Combined with the spicy character of rye, the bold roast of Roasted Barley, and the resinous hop notes, they reinforce the beer’s resolutely American identity. The bourbon amplifies this dimension with its signature warmth and generosity, giving the whole profile a distinctly “ballsy” edge. Brewed by Marc, our business developer, it was endorsed by Marie Segonne, technical sales oenologist at Arôbois, our Oak Chips French Partner.
Step 6 :
Proceed with bottling or kegging.
For the classic/atmospheric team, rack the beer to separate it from the yeast and chips. Prepare a priming syrup at 6 g/L of sugar and bottle as usual.
For the ISO team, transfer the beer to a keg or a secondary fermenter to separate it from the chips and yeast. Carbonate to 2.5 volumes of CO₂.
Conclusion
This American Porter recipe highlights everything the style has to offer: a deep malt backbone, a spicy touch from the rye, assertive resinous hops, and a perfectly measured layer of wood complexity. The Bourbon Oak chips bring warmth and roundness without ever masking the porter’s identity, instead giving it an added dimension.
The result is an expressive, balanced, and unmistakably American beer — ideal for drinkers who appreciate characterful brews.
*Discover the practical guide to brewing with oak chips.